Indian stars surge upward in latest ICC update after dominant Sri Lanka series show
Dubai
India opener Shafali Verma and pacer Renuka Singh Thakur made significant gains in the latest ICC Women’s T20I Player Rankings, while seasoned all-rounder Deepti Sharma continued her reign at the top of the bowling chart following India’s commanding performance against Sri Lanka.
Swashbuckling batter Shafali climbed four places to sixth position after a series of impactful knocks in the ongoing five-match T20I series. The 21-year-old, who was once the world’s top-ranked batter in the format, returned to prime form with scores of 69 not out off 34 balls in the second T20I, followed by consecutive unbeaten 79s in the third and fourth matches in Thiruvananthapuram. Her fearless strokeplay at the top has been a key factor in India racing to a 4-0 lead in the series.
Vice-captain Smriti Mandhana retained her third position among batters after ending a brief lean patch with a fluent 80 in the fourth T20I. Jemimah Rodrigues, however, slipped one place to 10th despite consistent contributions through the series.
In the bowling rankings, Deepti Sharma continued to hold firm at the No.1 spot, underlining her consistency and value as a frontline spinner. She was joined in the top 10 by Renuka Singh Thakur, who jumped eight places to joint sixth. Renuka’s rise came on the back of a match-winning spell of four for 21 in the third T20I, which sealed the series for India.
India’s spin depth was further reflected in the rise of left-arm spinners Shree Charani and Vaishnavi Sharma. Charani moved up 17 places to 52nd, while Vaishnavi made a remarkable leap of 390 places to 124th in her debut international series.
For Sri Lanka, opener Hasini Perera advanced 114 places to 71st among batters, while all-rounder Kavisha Dilhari climbed three spots to 79th. The rankings gains come as teams fine-tune combinations ahead of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 in England and Wales.